Indirect provision: Asylum seekers waiting three years for first interview 

Like other arms of government, the immigration system has been negatively impacted by Covid, with interviews cancelled and waiting times increasing.  Syed Uddin and Chicco Kalala have been waiting over three years for their first interview

Chicco Kalala's came to Ireland in 2017 and did his asylum interview in 2018. He is still awaiting a decision while he lives in Hanratty's Hotel in Limerick City.

“People get shocked when they hear about my case,’’ says Syed Uddin.

Syed is 36 years old. Originally from Bangladesh, he sought asylum in Ireland on 18th December 2017. Since then, he has lived in a shared room at Kinsale Road Direct Provision [DP] centre just outside Cork. He hasn’t yet done his asylum interview with the International Protection Office (IPO).